South Korean scientists have recently developed a new type of pink rice, which is cultivated by attaching beef cells to rice grains, and although it does not have the taste of beef, it has a higher protein and fat content, and has the chewiness and umami characteristic of beef.
photo: yonsei university
scientists at south korea’s yonsei university h**e created a new type of hybrid rice that not only has a meaty pink color but is also packed with beef protein and fat cells.
Scientists at Yonsei University in South Korea have developed a new hybrid rice that has a fleshy pink color and is also rich in beef protein and fat cells.
rice is already one of the most nutritious foods **ailable in nature, but thanks to some scientific ‘magic’, it could soon become a viable, sustainable alternative to meat. a team of researchers at the yonsei university in seoul, south korea, managed to create a rice hybrid laced with beef protein and fat cells. the new pink rice has 8 percent more protein and 7 percent more fat than regular rice, and while it doesn’t yet taste like beef, it does carry a “unique blend of aromas, including a slight nuttiness and umami which are characteristic of meat”. thanks to the integrated animal cells, this new pink rice could one day become a complete meal by itself, ensuring a sufficient, sustainable food supply for the whole world.
Rice is one of nature's most nutritious foods, but with the help of scientific magic, rice will soon become a viable and sustainable alternative to meat. A team of researchers at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, has developed a hybrid rice that contains beef protein and fat cells. This new pink rice has 8% more protein and 7% more fat than regular rice, respectively. Although it does not have a beef flavor, this rice has a "unique aroma with a bit of meat-specific chewiness and umami". Thanks to the incorporation of animal cells, this new pink rice will one day be able to become a complete meal on its own, providing the world with sufficient and sustainable food**.
imagine obtaining all the nutrients we need from cell-cultured protein rice,” said park so-hyeon, co-author of the study published in the matter scientific journal. “rice already has a high nutrient level, but adding cells from livestock can further boost it.”
Park Sang-hyun, co-author of the study, said, "Imagine getting all the nutrients we need from cell-cultured protein rice. Rice is already nutritious, but adding it to the cells of livestock will further enhance its nutritional value. The study was published in the scientific journal Matter.
so how does one go about infusing rice with beef? well, knowing that lab-grown cells need artificial scaffolds to create tissue, researchers at yonsei university decided that the porous nature of rice would make ideal scaffolding. to help the beef cells latch onto the rice grains, the latter were coated in fish gelatin and left to culture in a petri dish for up to 11 days.
So how did they come up with the idea of combining rice and beef? Researchers at Yonsei University knew that lab-grown cells needed an artificial substrate to generate tissue, so they decided to use rice because its porous structure made it an ideal culture medium. To help beef cells attach to the rice grains, the rice grains are coated with fish gelatin and cultured in a petri dish for up to 11 days.
photo: yonsei university
the hybrid grains are more firm and brittle than natural grains, and when cooked they retain their traditional appearance. while the rice doesn’t really taste like beef yet, it “offers a pleasant and novel fl**or experience,” and pairs well with a variety of dishes.
The rice grains of this hybrid rice are harder and crispier than natural rice grains and retain their traditional appearance when cooked. Although this rice does not have a beef flavor, it has a "pleasant new taste" and is suitable for a variety of dishes.
for their first experiments, scientists used cells from hanwoo cattle slaughtered at the local abattoir, but in the future, they plan to use sustainable supplies of cells that can be maintained in the lab. they are also exploring the possibility of lacing the rice with other types of meat or fish, in order to cater to different tastes.
In the initial experiments, the scientists used cells from Korean beef slaughtered at a local slaughterhouse, but in the future, they plan to use sustainable beef cells grown in the lab. Scientists will also explore the possibility of hybridizing rice with other meats or fish to satisfy different tastes.
for now, the percentage of protein in the hybrid rice is still relatively low. to actually replace meat, researchers would need to increase protein content significantly.
At present, the protein content of this hybrid rice is relatively low. In order to be able to replace meat, researchers will need to dramatically increase the protein content of this rice.
English**: Oddity Central
Translated & edited by Dani.
Reviewers: Qi Lei, Dong Jing.
*: China**Net.